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Shankar is a Canadian actress of Indo-Guyanese heritage. She was born in Ottawa to Indo-Guyanese parents who immigrated to Canada. She has two older sisters and a brother, who is also an actor. She was raised in Orleans, a suburban section of Ottawa. She began studying ballet and karate at three years old. Her father owns a karate school in Orleans. Shankar has a black belt in karate.[5] She attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in Ottawa until grade 11 before moving to Toronto following her casting in Degrassi in 2008.[6]

Shankar began her career as a child model. At 9, she accompanied a friend to an open casting call for a talent agency in Ottawa. Shankar was signed as a model and appeared in print advertisements, including a Procter & Gamble billboard in Los Angeles. Shankar's mother was an actress and her paternal grandfather was a director in Guyana. Shankar's father would often drive up to five hours from Ottawa to Toronto for her auditions.[7][8]

In 2008, she debuted as an actress in the popular teen television series Degrassi, joining the cast as an incoming 9th grade student. She currently plays "Alli Bhandari", the rebellious younger sister of "Sav Bhandari". In 2009, she starred in a television series on YTV called How To Be Indie. She played the lead role of Indira. She attended an open casting call for the Disney Channel Original MovieHarriet the Spy: Blog Wars. She was cast as Janie Gibbs, Harriet's best friend. Shankar was cast in her first feature film, Festival of Lights in 2010. The movie was filmed on location in New York City and Georgetown, Guyana. Her father served as production manager for the film due to his familiarity with the locations in Guyana.[7][8]

In 2013, Shankar and a longtime childhood friend began working on an image consulting business.[9] On February 22, 2014, Shankar launched Miss Conception, a professional styling and image agency based in Toronto.[10]